


Voting Season

by Diary



Category: X-Men Evolution
Genre: Bechdel Test Fail, Conversations, Cynicism vs Optimism, Gay Kurt Wagner, Gay Male Character, Male Friendship, Politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-23 02:25:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13180404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: “You’re seriously judging me for not committing a felony when you refuse to take a peaceful, legal action that has a far greater chance of preventing a situation than my committing the felony does?” Complete.





	Voting Season

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own X-Men Evolution.

Sitting down at their picnic table in the park, Kurt pushes a paper and pen over. “Alright, I filled out your voter’s registration form. If you just sign your name, I’ll mail it and keep your card safe when it comes. Jean’s said she’ll take it and pick you up when voting starts and take you to the polls.”

“Is it even legal to fill out someone else’s voter registration form, yo?”

“I don’t know,” Kurt admits. “Surely, when it comes to people with certain disabilities, they’re allowed to have help, so, there must be some shades of legality when it comes to people who don’t.”

“Uh-huh. Look, I told ya, dawg, I ain’t voting.”

“But it’s your civic responsibility!”

“Then, why ain’t you voting?”

“Because, I’m not an American citizen. I’m not eligible to vote.”

“What’s the voting age in Germany? When’s y’all’s next election? ‘Cause, seems to me, blue, that if you really cared ‘bout civic responsibility, you’d be flying back home and filling out your own registration form.”

“Huh.” Kurt considers this for a long moment. “I’ll figure out my response to that later. Right now, it’s important _you_ vote.”

“Ya know, I could vote for Smith.”

Grimacing, Kurt takes a breath. “Ja,” he quietly says. “And I wouldn’t like that, but at least, I’d know, if you did, you’d be doing it sincerely.”

“You’ve called him-”

“I know you. If I could just get you to vote, you’d choose someone you truly believed might be a good choice. If you and others were wrong, then, the fault lies with the one chosen, not the ones who chose.”

“Seriously gonna argue something done in good faith excuses the people who done it when it turns bad?”

“In a sense, yes,” Kurt answers.

“Look, dawg, I’m all for people bein’ proud of their country and tryin’ to make it better. I just don’t think voting does that. Have to wonder what would happ’n if no one voted.”

“Anarchy!”

“Maybe.” Shrugging, Toad holds the form up. “Some places, they still ask for race or ethnicity, yo. What I understand, people don’t have to put it there, but point is, it still asks. We had Jim Crow, and other countries have whatever puts crazy dictators and idiot politicians in power. How long before there’s a mutant box? And what do you honestly think is gonna happen when people with that checked show up, fuzzball?”

“Or,” he continues, “when they don’t? Some eighteen-year-old kid hasn’t manifested yet. So, they check ‘human’ or don’t check ‘mutant’, they manifest, and ya think the government’s jus’ gonna say, ‘Oh, that’s a’right.’ Never mind that people might decide to lie for other reasons, ‘cause, like you, they think voting is so important, but they don’t think they should have to out themselves.”

“That- you are-” Stopping, Kurt shakes his head and takes a deep breath. “I might want to go back to Germany someday, but right now, I want to stay. I want to go to college here. Get a job. Stay near my friends. Pascal Ellison Smith is a horrible person, and he’d be bad for everyone in this country. But the truth is, me and people like me could be the most affected.”

“He hates mutants, ja, but he also hates immigrants. Legal or illegal, it doesn’t matter. He’d go after me before he went after you. In addition, you talk about those of us who haven’t manifested, yet- I can’t go into a room, pull a lever, push a button, make a mark on paper. I can fight, though, and risk my life. But if you and other people went into that room, thought of those children and even adults who come into their powers later, you might be able to stop the need for me to.”

“You probably could and get away with it,” Toad points out.

“But I wouldn’t,” Kurt says. “That would make a mockery of the whole process.”

“Yeah, so, you end up defending the kids and others who ain’t killed or worse, but hey, at least, you didn’t make a mockery of something,” Toad sarcastically replies.

“You’re seriously judging me for not committing a felony when you refuse to take a peaceful, legal action that has a far greater chance of preventing a situation than my committing the felony does?”

“I ain’t judging, dawg. _You_ are. I’m sorry Smith’s after immigrants. I’m even sorrier he’s after you an’ me for being mutants. People who believe in voting, I’m not doing anything to stop ‘em. But not one of them or you has ever said anything to convince me.”

“21th century, dawg. That’s where we are, and I heard on the news about all these bills that people in the government are trying to pass to make it harder for most black and Hispanic and even just young white college kids to vote. 20th century, like I said, we had Jim Crow. My momma used ta say, ‘The only thing I can trust about politicians is that they’re all liars, and most of ‘em are thieves.’”

“That place your prof. and Magneto left Wanda in tortured her. I was a little kid when we went to war over reasons I still don’t understand. And it ain’t because people didn’t vote, it’s ‘cause they did. I vote for someone I think is good, and then, there’s dead babies on TV, my good faith don’t mean jack. I helped put them there, and now, that baby’s dead, people are still being tortured, and people here are still starving an’ living on the streets.”

“Oh, yes, you aren’t cynical at all.” Kurt pauses. “I’m sorry for what happened to Wanda. The professor- he did what he thought was the best he could at the time.”

“I don’t pay much attention to politics or the rest of the world, yo, but is any of what I said wrong? ‘Cause, no, I don’t see myself as cynical. Least not in this case. Just because the truth is bad and ya point it out, that just makes ya honest. An’ no, I’m not claiming I’m always honest, just that right now, that’s all I’m doing. Being honest.”

“If you have a better solution, please, tell me,” Kurt says. “But if you don’t- I couldn’t stand by and watch someone be hurt without doing something. Scott didn’t, do you remember? And maybe your life would be better or worse, but before he did that, when was the last time anyone ever tried to genuinely help you? If someone is further hurt or dies even though you tried to help them, is that your fault?”

“Sometimes, yeah,” Toad answers. “People have some medical issue, and people who aren’t doctors or nurses try to help and only end up making it worse.”

“Well, before the times of cells phones and internet and internet built into cell phones, if you came across a sick person, would you just watch them suffering? Walk away?”

“You’re not gonna like this, but: Probably, dawg. I’m not a hero. I’m not an X-Men. I’m not even a good person, and I’m _fine_ with that. I’ll always look out for number one, yo. Thing is, though, in this one instance, I’m actually doin’ right. If I thought my vote didn’t matter, I’d do it just because you want me to so bad. But for all I know, the others are all as secretly bad as Smith. If that one vote putting ‘em in power comes from me, the horrible things I’d never do myself become part of my fault.”

Kurt sighs. “I don’t how consistent this is, but I suppose I see it as: If you help someone, and they do bad things, they made the choice, and only they’re to blame. But if you don’t help someone, and bad things happen, that’s your fault. Or why I call you cynical is, yes, you could vote, and they could do bad things. The opposite is possible. You could vote, and they could do wonderful things. At the very least, I truly believe there are few who could be as bad as Smith. You not voting could mean he wins. It could mean someone who could and would help make things better for poor and hungry Americans never can.”

“Either way,” he pushes the form closer, “I’m not asking you to be an X-Man or a hero, Toad. Until someone comes up with a better solution, if there even is one, this is what America has.”

“Smith hates you for being a mutant. He hates me for being mutant, immigrant, and gay. I may have issues with my own homosexuality, but you never have. What about all those sixteen, seventeen-year-old kids who don’t have someone like you, like I did? If I could vote, I would treat others better than I treat myself. I’d vote for someone I thought would make things better and safer for them to be themselves.”

“If you truly believe doing nothing is better than trying to make things better and potentially failing, fine,” he finishes. “But just think about it, ja?”

Toad sighs.

…

“Here.”

Kurt looks down at the paper Toad just pushed over. “You signed it.”

“Yeah. Ya know that, come voting day, I’m not showering, and Jean had better bring some coffee or doughnuts, yo.”

“Of course,” Kurt readily agrees. Smiling, he catches Toad’s eye. “Thank you.”

“Don’t make a big deal over it, fuzzy.”

Kurt nods. “I won’t, but- why’d you change your mind?”

“I realised I could score some free coffee or doughnuts.”

“The thing is, if that were true, I’d take it. But,” he gives Toad a hopeful look, “in all honesty?”

Half-scoffing, Toad props his chin on his hand and looks up at the sky. “Look, like it or not, me an’ you are friends, Nightcrawler. There are tons an’ tons of limits to that, yo, but part of that means occasionally lookin’ out for ya. I don’t like the thought of gay kids and mutants an’ immigrants having no one ta help them. Thing is, I can’t do for them what I can for you, and no, I don’t have any better solution. So, if this can help them some, good. Likewise, dawg, it’s on you, not me, if it turns out to be a bad idea.”

“I can live with that,” Kurt says.

“Good. ‘Cause, you living, and hopefully, being happy- it’s something worth fighting for, yo. Provided the risk isn’t too great ta me, of course.”

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes: I have no idea if Kurt filling out Toad's form, having Toad sign it, and then, Kurt mailing it is legal in America or not. Within the universe of this fic, it is legal, but I make no claims towards real life. Certain states do have explicit guidelines about what forms of assistance can and can't be offered in helping disabled people get registered and/or vote, but since Toad isn't disabled, none of these apply. 
> 
> In short: I'd advise against filling out someone else's voter registration form or having someone else fill out another person's unless all parties know for certain it's legal in their country/state/area of residence.


End file.
